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My Memorial Day [Weirddave]

Here is a post I made on another message board in May of 2000. It's a little outdated in that it doesn't reflect the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. I thought of updating it, but ultimately decided to let it stand as written. I walk amongst the graves every year and remember, and since I wrote this, the responsibility has grown as now I have sons to teach as we walk together. Millions of people cavalierly toss about their opinions about politics and foreign policy and government. Very few of them stop to realize the real world costs of the freedoms we enjoy. War is nasty, brutal and unforgiving. The innocent and the guilty alike are consumed by it's fury. It is not by any stretch of the imagination "nice", but sometimes, as bad as war is, it is necessary and preferable to the alternative. When we as a society take our lives as they are for granted, we shame those who bought us our freedoms with their lives.

I sit here at my computer on the night before Memorial Day, and ponder what my day will be like. I intend to take a little trip, you see, and like any intelligent being, I am planning it in advance. The weather tomorrow is supposed to be overcast and rainy, but rather than dampen the mood, I imagine it will enhance it. It is altogether fitting that the weather reflect the somber yet joyful emotions required for my trip. I plan on visiting my local cemetery.

I see myself strolling through the even graves, row upon row. I shall consider all the lives represented by the seemingly endless markers, and I imagine I will be drawn to one or more adorned with the flag of the United States. As I peer down upon the hallowed resting place of a man or woman who gave a portion, or perhaps all of their life in service of this country I will remember. I will remember how lucky I am to be well fed while so many in this world go to bed hungry. I will remember the privilege I enjoy of living among others with the freedom to live, be happy and prosper. I will remember that there are places where a group of government thugs could tear me from my home and family to imprison or kill me, with nothing more than a whim or the whispered suggestion of wrong thinking to condemn me. Most of all I will remember that the liberties that I so blissfully take for granted were paid for at a terrible price.

At some point during my stroll, I will probably fall to my knees and silently pray to a God whose form I am not sure of, asking that the fallen never be forgotten and entreating him for the strength within myself to make sure their sacrifices were not in vain.

I will commend the courage of the 4,435 who died standing up to the most powerful empire in the world, saying 'Enough! All men are created equal!"

I will regret the passing of those 2,260 who, in the War of 1812, gave their lives in a war which was fairly pointless, but none the less validated the United States as a power to rival those in Europe.

I will cherish the memory of 13,283 who followed the lead of a heroic few Texans and stood off an invading Mexican army.

I will weep bitter tears as I consider that 558,052 American men, women and children paid the ultimate price while fighting each other, and the result is a union that would never again be questioned. These people died in the cause of unity, and the nation they fought to save has gone on to lead the world.

I will consider what it must have been like for the 2,446 who died fighting a minor European power in 1898. Historically, the Spanish American War may be trivial, but they answered the call all the same.

I will give endless thanks that I did not have to experience the absolute horror of trench warfare in Europe, while honoring the 116,708 who were killed doing nothing less than standing against the Kaiser's crack troops, fresh from the Eastern front, expecting to roll the Allies into the channel. WWI could easily have been a German victory without them.

I will stand in awe of the willingness displayed by 407,316 ordinary men and women who left their homes and paid the ultimate price to ensure that fascism did not engulf the world and lead to the darkest time in history. The everyman of WWII is an amazing concept, yet that is how it has been throughout history. Just plain folks doing their duty.

I will reflect on how 33,651 Americans passed the torch of freedom from their failing hands to a little country called South Korea, proving that they may look different and speak what to us is a very strange language, but they are no less deserving of freedom than we.

I will ponder the plight of the Vietnam veteran, along with his 58,163 comrades who did not come home. How must it have been, to go to an unknown place, to fight and die for a people who often didn't want them there. How terrible to come home to a population who scorned them, whose only answer to the anguished plea, " I answered the call, I did my duty" was all to often a turned back?

I will rejoice that only 293 Americans were called to sacrifice themselves in 1991, but remember that thousands of opposing troops, people who do not have our freedom to set the course their government takes, died as well.

I will remember that the cost has been great, but celebrate that the results have been greater. As I raise my eyes again, and peer at the carved stone remembering only one such life, I will whisper from the depth of my soul the two words that are completely inadequate, and yet are all that I have to offer.


"THANK YOU".

Posted by: Open Blogger at 07:16 PM




Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1
May 2000...

Things were so much different back then.

Posted by: Soothsayer at May 24, 2015 07:19 PM (9uYwf)

2 Thank You to all that have served and to Dave- Well done, Sir.

Posted by: Ben Had at May 24, 2015 07:28 PM (rAMjG)

3

1
May 2000...

Things were so much different back then.
Posted by: Soothsayer at May 24, 2015 07:19 PM (9uYwf)

The last year of the Twentieth Century ended with Al Gore losing his bid to steal an election and the Democrats going nuts.

Maybe things are just clearer now.

Posted by: eman at May 24, 2015 07:30 PM (MQEz6)

4 Damned allergies...

Thank you, Dave.

Posted by: speedster1 at May 24, 2015 07:31 PM (1brdf)

5 Great post WeirdDave,thank you.

Posted by: fastfreefall at May 24, 2015 07:31 PM (UbT44)

6 The best way to thank them is to be good people and live our lives well.

Posted by: eman at May 24, 2015 07:32 PM (MQEz6)

7 I pay my respects tomorrow to those that sacrificed their lives so I can live. I celebrate their memory, not the day off or sales, their memories because so many gave their all.

Posted by: Gmac- Pulling in feelers in preperation... at May 24, 2015 07:32 PM (4CRfK)

8 Thanks, Dave. Gotta go find the Benadryl. Allergies just kicked in a bit.

Posted by: DC in River City at May 24, 2015 07:32 PM (e+1S5)

9 Being prepared to stand off the USSR during the Cold War cost a great many lives. Sometimes a lot at once--USS Thresher still on Eternal Patrol--or one or two when an interceptor went down in the Arctic Ocean, or a couple of watchkeepers were swept off a destroyer in a storm. Even a guy killed in training when an artillery round went short was a Cold War casualty. Along the Korean DMZ, or a chopper crash in the Yellow Sea counted amongst those who kept us free. Because their sacrifices and the presence of their brothers convinced the Sovs not to start anything, and they stood on the wall for half a century.

Posted by: Richard Aubrey at May 24, 2015 07:33 PM (Q/3mX)

10 Thanks to all those who never lived to see the end of the war which they fought and gave so much to end.

Posted by: skip at May 24, 2015 07:43 PM (gbkdW)

11 I shall not read the post and head straight to the comments

Posted by: derit at May 24, 2015 07:46 PM (jT+gh)

12
Thank You to those who served.

God bless you.

Posted by: eleven at May 24, 2015 07:49 PM (MDgS8)

13 Thank you and God Bless to my dad, Air Defense Artillery WWII Pacific and Korea; to the father in law I never met, a signals corporal with the British Army that invaded Normandy; to my granddad who was a war horse, in WWI and the Bulge in WWII. And to all the others, in memory, now and forever. Thank You all.

Posted by: goatexchange at May 24, 2015 08:01 PM (uBTYu)

14 God bless all of those who lost their lives in service to this country. We are forever in your debt. We will continue to fight so that your lives were not in vain.

Posted by: DangerGirl and her 1.21 gigawatt Sanity Prod (tm) at May 24, 2015 08:05 PM (q20+R)

15 I'm not sure that the Vikings had it all wrong about Valhalla.

Might be, that it's just the Heroe's Hall of Heaven.

Together now, let us stand, and make ready our glass.

To Absent Friends.......

Salute!


*downs shot*

*hurls glass into fireplace*



Jim
Sunk New Dawn
Galveston, TX

Posted by: Jim at May 24, 2015 08:06 PM (RzZOc)

16 Well said Weirddave. God Bless those who gave all.

Posted by: Mr. alu Fods at May 24, 2015 08:10 PM (dVk8Y)

17 Dave, Thank you for such a moving and timely post. Despite the cynicism and, usually, rage at so much in the news, I try to keep the real purpose of Memorial Day in mind. Your post helps.

Posted by: JTB at May 24, 2015 08:11 PM (FvdPb)

18 Thanks to my grandfather who went ashore at Iwo and lived but never spoke about it. Now in my later years I fully understand why.

Posted by: Foghorn Leghorn at May 24, 2015 08:13 PM (l0lja)

19 Thank you to you, Weirddave, for writing this post and sharing it here where I could read it.

Posted by: FireHorse at May 24, 2015 08:19 PM (r+LOT)

20 Well over a million men, women, and even children who lied about their ages to enlist have sacrificed everything that they otherwise could have been to die for this country. A great multitude more have fought alongside those, that we would not know the oppressor's chain, nor live on our knees at the mercy of the overseers. They also faced death with their friends and family who never made it through.

I thank God that I live in a world where people are willing to make those kind of sacrifices on my behalf, and stand in wonderment at the very notion that I could ever somehow be worthy of it.

There is only one thing that I can do to pay them back, to live the life that they died for, to enjoy and use the freedoms that they fought for, and to pass on the love of and respect for the terrible cost of these things to the next generation, to ensure that even more than the flag that they died under, that the thing itself that they fought for; government of the people, by the people, and for the people does not vanish from this Earth.

Posted by: Cato the Rebel Without a Party at May 24, 2015 08:23 PM (HalrA)

21 A citation about a child who escaped from Russian-occupied Lithuania and returned to Europe as a soldier to fight against tyranny:

"The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Joseph Kardok, Private First Class, U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action near Grand Ballois Farm, France, July 15, 1918. After being badly gassed, Private Kardok continued with his duties as runner, exposed to the extreme shelling of high explosive and gas bombs."

Awarded posthumously, of course.

Thanks, Uncle Joe.

Posted by: FireHorse at May 24, 2015 08:30 PM (r+LOT)

22 Dave and Cato- You guys are a balm for the soul. In this time of watching our government flag and fray, you have made the flame burn a little brighter. Thank You.

Posted by: Ben Had at May 24, 2015 08:30 PM (rAMjG)

23 I'm sorry, I keep leaving the weird part out of Dave.

Posted by: Ben Had at May 24, 2015 08:33 PM (rAMjG)

24 "A union which will never again be questioned."

Well... hm. About that.

Posted by: Washington Nearsider, Keeper of the Guards, returned from 1080 exile at May 24, 2015 08:49 PM (cv6Ng)

25 Thanks, Weirddave

Posted by: KT at May 24, 2015 08:49 PM (qahv/)

26 There will be an extra place setting at my table tomorrow to remember all who made the supreme sacrifice. I used to have to explain it to my children, now I know they will carry on the tradition.

Posted by: Duke Lowell at May 24, 2015 08:50 PM (KFdZd)

27
To all the young men lost in RVN, the survivors remain saddened by your premature departure, but to the man, we honor your faithful service to God and country.

This Memorial Day in the year 2015, I recognize the numerous friends and acquaintances lost in the conflict, but a very special call to my good friend Sgt. Emmett Horn, killed in action on 23 December 1964.

Emmett was a bull rider from Vidor, Texas, and was especially suited to be a member of the 1st Special Forces Group assigned to Okinawa. In early '64, he and eleven other men were assigned to A-113 TDY (Temporary Duty) to Da Nang, RVN for further assignment. Upon arrival, the team was further assigned to Special Forces A Camp Ashau in I Corp.

Emmett was a very likeable and joyful rough rider who loved to arm wrestle Vietnamese and allow them to win, when he could have easily broken their arms. He also loved to eat with the men consuming monkey, snake, etc.

On the fateful day of his killing, he was an adviser to the Vietnamese CIDG (Civilian Irregular Defense Group) as called for in the agreement between RVN and the US. In actuality, he was leading a patrol of approximately 80 men on a combat patrol approximately 10 km north of Ashau.

The patrol was in an open area and the enemy force initiated an ambush. The CIDG froze and sought to hide from the fusillade of fire. Emmett left his position and moved down the line imploring the men to fight. When his back was turned to the interlopers, he was shot in the back of the head. He lived for approximately two hours, but died on the four hour walk back to Camp Ashau.

Emmett was a very brave soul, and it was great knowing this man. Also, the songwriter Barry Sadler mentioned Horn in his song "I'm a Lucky One."

It has been over 50 years, but I will never forget his bravery in the face of the enemy force and for being one of the good guys.

Posted by: Doctor Fish at May 24, 2015 08:50 PM (P330y)

28 Beautiful. Weird Dave! Thanks for reminding us that to live in the U.S. is a gift from God. A nation that produces men and women who will give their all. For us.

Posted by: Geraldina Winter at May 24, 2015 09:02 PM (M3vz/)

29 I lift a wee dram in honor of those who have given their lives. Unfortunately, I see no end in sight for similar sacrifices.

Posted by: Eromero at May 24, 2015 09:06 PM (go5uR)

30 We were thinking of going to the Hill Country yesterday, but glad we abstained given the washed out bridges and such. We're supposed to get hammered tomorrow too, so no grilling in the plans.

I really am not complaining because we need the rain. If the weather allows, we'll probably drive around Ft Sam cemetery. It's just beautiful with all the little flags fluttering in the breeze. Nice post Dave.

Posted by: stace at May 24, 2015 09:07 PM (CoX6k)

31 May God bless and keep your friend, Doctor Fish.

Posted by: Typo dynamofo at May 24, 2015 09:10 PM (i7JE3)

32 Great post, Weirddave.

Posted by: Michael the Hobbit at May 24, 2015 09:10 PM (0RdKg)

33 I only recently learned about two of my mom's cousins, brothers who died in WW2. I only knew the one surviving brother of that family, but he lived a long, brilliant life. How awful for a family to lose two out of three kids though.
My dad's older brother was killed when a U-boat sank his tanker. He joined the Merchant Marine in 1941, and took vital oil to England. Those guys served too, although they technically weren't military.

Posted by: stace at May 24, 2015 09:15 PM (CoX6k)

34 Thank you to all that have and currently serve. And a special thanks to all the Veterans who I have met and who mentored me in my civilian career. Hard to whine about how hard your job is in an air conditioned factory to a guy that served in Vietnam.

Posted by: Robinson at May 24, 2015 09:18 PM (+exqw)

35 Cambridge American Cemetery, the only American cemetery in England. 3,809 headstones, and a memorial to the 5,127 missing.

http://tinyurl.com/k2qkrvg

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at May 24, 2015 09:25 PM (F2IAQ)

36 Thanks Dave, and thank you to those who gave their lives for this great country. Days like this give me renewed faith.

Posted by: dartist at May 24, 2015 09:28 PM (ahBY0)

37 Thank you, Dave. I didn't lose any family to war, but one uncle who served in Vietnam was never the same after he returned. I tried to thank him for his service once, but he didn't want to hear it. He's with God now, so he's finally at peace.

Posted by: Captain Whitebread (Face For Radio, Voice For Print) at May 24, 2015 09:35 PM (rJUlF)

38 'evening, Horde.

An auspicious weekend, and all due respect conferred.

Anyone up for a toast? To all those who gave all, and even those who gave all they could.

*clink*

Posted by: Tobacco Road at May 24, 2015 09:36 PM (4Mv1T)

39 40
*clink*

Posted by: Captain Whitebread (Face For Radio, Voice For Print) at May 24, 2015 09:37 PM (rJUlF)

40 This is the only "blogger" I comment about on AOSHQ.

A Memorial Day post that has how many "I"s?

It's not about you; you boring blowhard.

$50 says he didn't serve.

Posted by: JCM332 at May 24, 2015 09:37 PM (HdxSg)

41 There are so many words and so many videos and so many pictures that pay tribute to the men and women who have died in the service to this country. It is a humbling experience to walk among the graves of these people and to visit the war memorials and just silently consider the enormity of their sacrifices, individually and collectively. The best thing we can do for them is fight to preserve this country and ensure it perseveres. God bless them all, and God bless the USA.

Posted by: CrotchetyOldJarhead on a new tablet at May 24, 2015 09:38 PM (gOixe)

42 My father served in WW2 (drafted at 30 with 2 kids), my oldest brother during Korea, and my other 2 older brothers during Nam. None of them saw action (my Dad was waiting orders to ship out to the Pacific when the big one dropped.) Nam was winding down when I came of age, I had a high lottery number, and never served. My Mom said that was fine with her, she already did her duty.

As it would happen, they made a veterans' cemetery about 5 miles from my home, and that is where my parents are buried with each other.I'll be there tomorrow.

Posted by: bergerbilder at May 24, 2015 09:38 PM (+jijM)

43 Go fuck yourself JCM. I served in the USMC and I enjoyed this post.

Posted by: Duke Lowell at May 24, 2015 09:39 PM (KFdZd)

44 40 & 41. Scroll up to 15. aannnnddd....


Cheers! *clink*



Jim
Sunk New Dawn
Galveston, TX

Posted by: Jim at May 24, 2015 09:39 PM (RzZOc)

45 42 This is the only "blogger" I comment about on AOSHQ.

A Memorial Day post that has how many "I"s?

It's not about you; you boring blowhard.

$50 says he didn't serve.

Posted by: JCM332
--------------------------------------------

Then write something better.

You are excused...

with extreme prejudice.

Posted by: Tobacco Road at May 24, 2015 09:40 PM (4Mv1T)

46 *clink*
Thanks Dave. Perfect.

Hope to visit Fort Rosecrans cemetery tomorrow afternoon, after the events have cleared. Incredibly beautiful spot in any case, overlooking San Diego Bay and on clear days south to Ensenada and north to Dana Point.

Will call my Guadalcanal vet friend (much older guy) and make him commit to another wine-soaked meeting soon.

And keep my thoughts focused on the past, and those we honor (and those on the wall today). But not on the country they protect.

Posted by: rhomboid at May 24, 2015 09:40 PM (QDnY+)

47 Anyone up for a toast? To all those who gave all, and even those who gave all they could.

*clink*

Posted by: Tobacco Road at May 24, 2015 09:36 PM
________

Sobieski may not be upper-shelf booze, but I think it's a dandy vodka.

* pours generous helping *

* taps glass against computer screen *

To all of them, with our undying gratitude.

Posted by: FireHorse at May 24, 2015 09:41 PM (2OdVw)

48 TR - *clink*

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at May 24, 2015 09:42 PM (F2IAQ)

49 JCM,

Lighten up, Francis.

Dave knows it's not about him. He's saying how he will honor those who have sacrificed. What the hell is wrong with that? Quit counting pronouns and go learn reading comprehension.

Posted by: Captain Whitebread (Face For Radio, Voice For Print) at May 24, 2015 09:42 PM (rJUlF)

50 My brother's 8 year old grand daughter brought up Memorial Day at lunch today. She asked me questions that clearly came from her own thinking and made me proud, especially because my 91 year old Dad was with us. Had a good day today.

Posted by: dartist at May 24, 2015 09:43 PM (ahBY0)

51 I'm a vet. An undistinguished and short career. I sat at my son's high school graduation ceremony today between a Vietnam era army draftee and a Korean War marine. They are two of the greatest guys I know, and deserved of all the praise and respect people give them. While I appreciate the thanks given to me, mostly I'm embarrassed to think what I did could ever be compared to what those other guys accomplished...and the sacrifices they made. Physically they are in terrible shape. Both of them deaf and struggling with the VA over hearing aids. One packs an ovygen tank, the other has Parkinson's. Both in wheel chairs. How many more years have they got? Not many, and I'll miss them when they're gone. Just a couple ordinary family men that interrupted their lives so we could live ours in comfort and peace.

Posted by: fairweatherbill at May 24, 2015 09:43 PM (xrURQ)

52 Yes, thank you all who have and do serve.

Posted by: Ricardo Kill with a bandana at May 24, 2015 09:44 PM (EN+21)

53 clink

Posted by: dartist at May 24, 2015 09:44 PM (ahBY0)

54 Here's to Stoker's mate William White. Of Coventry, England. While on the Murmansk run, his ship was torpedoed in the North Atlantic. The same week, his family home in Coventry Close was flattened, along with the Cathedral. Towed to Philadelphia Naval Yard, he met my aunt, Julia. they were married, and he left for the South Pacific. Where he was again torpedoed in the Java Straits. The only British sailor I ever heard tell of, sunk by 2 different Axis navies. Later an American citizen, who spent his life drinking Ballantine beer, smoking Pall Malls, and working in an oil refinery. I'll have a Ballantine for you tomorrow, Uncle Bill.

Posted by: retropox at May 24, 2015 09:45 PM (J3zBG)

55 ..and thanks WDave. elegiac words.

Posted by: retropox at May 24, 2015 09:46 PM (J3zBG)

56 well I only have a glass of water, but I will raise my glass as well

Posted by: chemjeff at May 24, 2015 09:46 PM (+4mdw)

57 fairweatherbill, thanks for that post, and thanks for your service.

Another toast up for new grads and their uncertain future.

May we be there to help them for many years in the future...

For our generation surely created this mess they will have to endure.

God Bless and keep them.

Posted by: Tobacco Road at May 24, 2015 09:47 PM (4Mv1T)

58 well I only have a glass of water, but I will raise my glass as well

-------------------

You're a chemist. Turn it into something better.

Posted by: Duke Lowell at May 24, 2015 09:48 PM (KFdZd)

59 59

I'll join you in that toast, TR. CW Jr., my youngest, graduated Friday.

Posted by: Captain Whitebread (Face For Radio, Voice For Print) at May 24, 2015 09:48 PM (rJUlF)

60 I was up late last night thinking, turning things over as I often do, about the future state of things. The growing dread that we're headed to the world that Orwell prophesized seemed inescapable, and suddenly a clarity swept me.

That world can not be. Not that we can't allow it, but even if we can't stop the forces arrayed against us, it simply can not be. You can't fail upwards forever. Socialism can no more support itself than a man can jump off a cliff without mechanical aid and fly. We often make the mistake of acting like our opponents can succeed, and that they can win.

We can still lose, but they can not win. Their system is a marvelous engine powered by a single unicorn fart, and they have never bothered to realize that there is not a unicorn in all the world to power it.

The worst we can do is a draw, time will still forget them, and sweep the dust of their hopes from his hands.

Also, *clink*

Posted by: Cato the Rebel Without a Party at May 24, 2015 09:48 PM (HalrA)

61 Hope to visit Fort Rosecrans cemetery tomorrow afternoon, ...


Is that near Stones River (Murfreesboro, TN). We lived very near there the 5 years I lived and worked there.

BTW, my parents are at Rittman, OH.

Posted by: bergerbilder at May 24, 2015 09:49 PM (+jijM)

62 Hope to visit Fort Rosecrans cemetery tomorrow afternoon, ...


Is that near Stones River (Murfreesboro, TN). We lived very near there the 5 years I lived and worked there.

BTW, my parents are at Rittman, OH.

Posted by: bergerbilder at May 24, 2015 09:49 PM (+jijM)

63 Well if you guys are drinking, then I'm drinking.

Here's looking up your skirt!

Posted by: fairweatherbill at May 24, 2015 09:50 PM (xrURQ)

64 oh...one bit of my usual disease submissions. Uncle Bill caught malaria in during the relief of Singapore. It lay dormant in his liver, at some Plasmodium are wont to do, and re-emerged 43 years later, in 1988. Admitted to hospital in Philadelphia with a diagnosis of...malaria. true story. YCMTSU.

Posted by: retropox at May 24, 2015 09:50 PM (J3zBG)

65 My flag is illuminated, so it stays up all of the time. Just went out and lowered to half staff. Off to Black Mountain State Veterans Cemetery tomorrow, where we will have a ceremony. A pic: http://tinyurl.com/lrqd5tl

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at May 24, 2015 09:51 PM (F2IAQ)

66 I'll join you in that toast, TR. CW Jr., my youngest, graduated Friday.

Posted by: Captain Whitebread (Face For Radio, Voice For Print) at May 24, 2015 09:48 PM (rJUlF)
-----------------------

As did my youngest. Toast up Whitebread!

May your face be made for TV, and your voice made for Sirius.

Posted by: Tobacco Road at May 24, 2015 09:51 PM (4Mv1T)

67 I do want to take just a moment, and provide what might be a bit of unwelcome focus here.

There are no shortage of Vets amongst Teh Horde. And indeed, we all honor the vets and active duty out in the wider world.

Today, is not about us, or about them.

So, while we vets humbly acknowledge the thanks of those who speak their appreciation in our direction, I, and we, must decline your honors, and turn towards they who deserve our woefully insufficient thanks, praise and honors.

This day is about the fallen. It is dedicated to those who are no longer with us. It is, Memorial Day.

It is, to Absent Friends.

Of whom I adjure you all to again, rise, and join me in this toast to them.


*Cheers!*

*slams shot*

*hurls yet another glass into the fireplace*



Jim
Sunk New Dawn
Galveston, TX

Posted by: Jim at May 24, 2015 09:52 PM (RzZOc)

68 *clink*

Semper Fi, regardless of the branch of service.

Posted by: CrotchetyOldJarhead on a new tablet at May 24, 2015 09:52 PM (gOixe)

69 Oops, rhomboid. Didn't read your whole post before making mine. Rosencrans was the name of the Union general at the battle of Stones River (Murfreesboro.)

Posted by: bergerbilder at May 24, 2015 09:53 PM (+jijM)

70 They have my thanks and support, but more importantly, the thanks and admiration of my children. They know it is only right to be worthy of that kind of sacrifice. So long as we all feel, remember, and do the same, the sacrifices of our military will not be in vain.

Posted by: Feh at May 24, 2015 09:54 PM (Uk9e2)

71 TR-clink, and to the children of this country with hope they won't have to pay the price that others before them have.

Posted by: dartist at May 24, 2015 09:54 PM (ahBY0)

72 Thank you to the fallen.

*clink*

Posted by: rickl at May 24, 2015 09:56 PM (sdi6R)

73 Hear, hear, Jim.

Posted by: Duke Lowell at May 24, 2015 09:57 PM (KFdZd)

74 You guys (gender neutral) make me remember to be glad I live here. God bless you all.

This 1/2 gallon of middle shelf scotch is doomed tonight.

Posted by: Tobacco Road at May 24, 2015 09:59 PM (4Mv1T)

75 One of my uncles got a disease in the Pacific, but not sure exactly which one. The high fever did permanent brain damage, and he spent over 50 years in a VA mental hospital before dying.

Posted by: bergerbilder at May 24, 2015 09:59 PM (+jijM)

76 May your face be made for TV, and your voice made for Sirius.
Posted by: Tobacco Road at May 24, 2015 09:51 PM (4Mv1T)

Posted by: Captain Whitebread (Face For Radio, Voice For Print) at May 24, 2015 10:00 PM (rJUlF)

77 This 1/2 gallon of middle shelf scotch is doomed tonight.

So is this 30 pack of Champagne of Bottled beer in a can.

Posted by: dartist at May 24, 2015 10:00 PM (ahBY0)

78 A week or more back, I had submitted a potential Memorial Day guest post to one of the COBs, but I guess it didn't make the cut.

Should it not appear by comment 100, here, I'll throw up a Tiny URL to it. Something I'd written back in '04 for Memorial Day.

I trust that it'll merit your respective approvals.



Jim
Sunk New Dawn
Galveston, TX

Posted by: Jim at May 24, 2015 10:02 PM (RzZOc)

79 Jim,

Thank you. I will, then, raise a toast to my friend Timmie. He was serving in Germany last year when he died suddenly. I still don't know the cause of death because his family has not disclosed it. All I know is that I miss him.

To departed friends. May we see you on the other side.

Posted by: Captain Whitebread (Face For Radio, Voice For Print) at May 24, 2015 10:03 PM (rJUlF)

80 At the rate Jim in Galveston is going, we're going to have to set up a GoFundMe to get him more shot glasses.

*Taps neck of beer bottle with Jim's shot glass, drains bottle and hurls it into fireplace*
Don't worry, I have more.

To all of the men who have given their all in service to our country, my profound Thanks! May God hold you and comfort you.
To all who have served and are no longer with us, including my Dad and two Uncles, Rest in Peace. As long as I am alive, you will never be forgotten.

Posted by: Old Blue at May 24, 2015 10:04 PM (9iR5/)

81 Cap'n Whitebread.


I'm honored to join in your toast to Timmie.

He's missed by a very good man, and thus missed by us all.



*Cheers!*

*slams shot*

*hurls glass into fireplace*



Jim
Sunk New Dawn
Galveston, TX

Posted by: Jim at May 24, 2015 10:06 PM (RzZOc)

82 Bergerbilder: the Yellow Fever vaccine was extremely protective and very few cases occurred. Two likely candidates are Japanese Encephalitis Virus, and cerebral malaria. I bet a pint on JEV. Sorry, man. As many died of malaria on Guadalcanal, and on New Britain, as from battle wounds.

Posted by: retropox at May 24, 2015 10:07 PM (J3zBG)

83 I only knew of one guy that was killed during active duty. A fellow I went to college with died when his F-111 crashed during a training mission. His last name was Gerhardt, can't remember the first name and I'm getting drunk and remorse so I won't look it up. He was married and had kids. That sucked.
I probably knew more but when you live a transient life you tend to lose touch with people. Anyway, a toast to Gerhardt.

Posted by: fairweatherbill at May 24, 2015 10:09 PM (o/3Hk)

84 A toast to your friend Capt. Whitebread.
I'm going to shift from *clink* to *gloosh* because I am there, and I care.

Posted by: Tobacco Road at May 24, 2015 10:10 PM (4Mv1T)

85 According to the newly declassified US document, the Pentagon foresaw the likely rise of the 'Islamic State' as a direct consequence of this strategy, and warned that it could destabilize Iraq. Despite anticipating that Western, Gulf state and Turkish support for the "Syrian opposition" -- which included al-Qaeda in Iraq -- could lead to the emergence of an 'Islamic State' in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), the document provides no indication of any decision to reverse the policy of support to the Syrian rebels. On the contrary, the emergence of an al-Qaeda affiliated "Salafist Principality" as a result is described as a strategic opportunity to isolate Assad.

Posted by: Karl Marx at May 24, 2015 10:10 PM (e8kgV)

86
None of them can be forgotten.

Not as long as there are those who will still honor them and their sacrifice.

Thank you, Dad.

Posted by: irongrampa at May 24, 2015 10:10 PM (jeCnD)

87 *Gives Jim a plexiglass shot glass.*

Posted by: Duke Lowell at May 24, 2015 10:13 PM (KFdZd)

88 IronGrandpa in the house!

Another toast up.

or if you don't imbibe, you can blast a 1911 or Garand.

Posted by: Tobacco Road at May 24, 2015 10:13 PM (4Mv1T)

89 I will remember that there are places where a group of government thugs could tear me from my home and family to imprison or kill me, with nothing more than a whim or the whispered suggestion of wrong thinking to condemn me.

Good times, good times.

Posted by: rickl at May 24, 2015 10:14 PM (sdi6R)

90 e8kgV: Anyone with half a brain paying attention in 2011 saw that coming.

Posted by: boulder terlit hobo at May 24, 2015 10:16 PM (AVEe1)

91 Anyway, that ISIS's rise in Syria, Iraq, and Libya was foreseeable is boring, since most morons here foresaw it, especially in Libya. If anything we were more surprised to see it happen in Syria-Iraq faster than it did in Libya. At least I was.

More interesting, and more on topic, is this article:
http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-warrior-main-20150524-story.html

Posted by: boulder terlit hobo at May 24, 2015 10:19 PM (AVEe1)

92 Watching a show called "The Fighting Season". It's about summer fighting in Afghanastan

Posted by: Thunderb, the things I have seen at May 24, 2015 10:21 PM (zOTsN)

93 "$50 says he didn't serve."

Lifelong civilian here. My dad (Navy, WWII, Pacific Theater) once lamented about the generation that succeeded his, saying they never knew true hardship, that they take everything for granted.

My response was that those of his generation, who grew up during the Depression and spent their late teens and early 20s fighting a hard war, did everything they could to prevent their children from enduring similar experiences. In short, his generation deliberately spoiled mine. "Well done," I said, "and thank you."

So yeah, Memorial Day is indeed about me and people like me who didn't live through horrors like the ones my Dad saw at Leyte Gulf. I never wanted to experience that, and he didn't want me to either. In fact, he specifically said to me, "Stay away from war. I don't want you to see war."

Instead, I get a three-day weekend and intend to make time for an ice cream cone between now and Tuesday and I'm going to celebrate my abnormally cushy life. That's the point, when you get right down to it. That's why so many Soldiers and Sailors and Marines and Airmen did what they did. They did it so that I (first-person singular) could live a life replete with ice cream and potato salad and beer instead of one consisting of interrogations and rape rooms and concentration camps.

I don't want to Internet-fight about this, but I do hope you understand the personal nature of this holiday. Please, take it personally.

Posted by: FireHorse at May 24, 2015 10:22 PM (2OdVw)

94 * although the fact that the freakin' PENTAGON foresaw it and thought "hey, cool!" *does* give me the creeps. . .

Posted by: boulder terlit hobo at May 24, 2015 10:22 PM (AVEe1)

95 99 * although the fact that the freakin' PENTAGON foresaw it and thought "hey, cool!" *does* give me the creeps. . .
Posted by: boulder terlit hobo at May 24, 2015 10:22 PM (AVEe1)


I think that's the main point of the article. I read it earlier and kept the tab open waiting for the right thread to link it.

Posted by: rickl at May 24, 2015 10:25 PM (sdi6R)

96 Fire Horse.

That, amigo, is one hell of an insightful comment. Very well said.


Jim
Sunk New Dawn
Galveston, TX

Posted by: Jim at May 24, 2015 10:25 PM (RzZOc)

97 Raises glass for Lawson Bittaker, once a drinking buddy. Died when Mohawk OV-1 went down 12 Feb. 1978. Genuine good guy.

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at May 24, 2015 10:26 PM (F2IAQ)

98 It's not Veterans Day. It's not the Fourth of July. It's not the Black Friday sale after thanksgiving. It's Memorial Day. That's what it means. That's what it's for. We have other days to celebrate those other things. I'm not saying not to enjoy the three day weekend. But if you are able to type tonight, it's not about you

Posted by: Thunderb, the things I have seen at May 24, 2015 10:26 PM (zOTsN)

99 I hate to piss on your parade, but fascism lives.

Here and now. In America, from Americans and by Americans.


Posted by: Grampa Jimbo at May 24, 2015 10:27 PM (V70Uh)

100 Oh En Tee...

Posted by: ManWithNoParty, unperson from Free Market Jesus Paradise at May 24, 2015 10:30 PM (XrHO0)

101 Thanks, Jim.

* clink *

Posted by: FireHorse at May 24, 2015 10:30 PM (2OdVw)

102 O/T: Back in April I sent a letter to the Queen of England concerning the 70th anniversary of VE Day. I was thanking the Monarch for all the sacrifices that the Brits and their Commonwealth partners made during the war, and how they sacrificed so much for freedom. I did not expect a reply from the Queen.
Much to my surprise, I received a letter this week from a communications director, who, on behalf of the Queen, thanked me for my very kind letter.
If you want to know why the Queen, two reasons. One, many Americans don't know that the Brits and the Commonwealth had more combat troops in contact with enemy forces until surpassed by American forces in August 1944. They also fought alone until against Germany until June of 1940 when Hitler invaded Russia.
Also, there was no American head of state that I wanted to send a letter to.

Posted by: Old Blue at May 24, 2015 10:31 PM (9iR5/)

103 Okay, I'm going to post this, as I think it's a salient Companion Piece to Weird Dave's excellent and thoughtful essay.

I'd put this up at my now defunct blog, back in 2004. Much like Weird Dave's 2000 missive, it remains true, and resonates more deeply with every passing year.

My blog is dead, my sitemeter no longer spins. This ain't about the hits.

But, I'd like for y'all go go take the three or four minutes it'll take to read this Memorial Day tribute. I'll count it an honor if you do.

http://tinyurl.com/oypwvxh


Respectfully,



Jim
Sunk New Dawn
Galveston, TX

Posted by: Jim at May 24, 2015 10:31 PM (RzZOc)

104 Thank you Weirddave, for a lovely post. Thank you to those who serve, and God'sblessing on those who gave their lives in service.

Posted by: Moki at May 24, 2015 10:31 PM (x303I)

105 >>>I probably knew more but when you live a transient life you tend to lose touch with people. Anyway, a toast to Gerhardt.

I see a USAF Capt Frederick Gerhardt lost in an F-111 on 12 Jan 1998. That sound right?

F-111.net has the list of all those lost in that aircraft.

Posted by: DC in River City at May 24, 2015 10:32 PM (e+1S5)

106 Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery is on Point Loma, in San Diego.


Posted by: Grampa Jimbo at May 24, 2015 10:32 PM (V70Uh)

107 A coworker once asked me, as a Marine combat vet, if I thought it was OK to have a cookout on Memorial Day. I replied that it was a fitting tribute to the fallen that you exercise the freedoms they died to protect. Just remember it was they who protected and defended those rights, not your smart ass English lit professor.

Posted by: Duke Lowell at May 24, 2015 10:32 PM (KFdZd)

108 Well done Jim!

Posted by: Old Blue at May 24, 2015 10:35 PM (9iR5/)

109 Great story Old Blue. The old gal has people who appreciate your thanks.


Posted by: Grampa Jimbo at May 24, 2015 10:36 PM (V70Uh)

110 Grampa Jimbo, I'm thinking of framing the letter. Beautiful stationary.

Posted by: Old Blue at May 24, 2015 10:38 PM (9iR5/)

111 FireHorse:
My story is very much like yours.

Thunderb:
I think what he meant was that that *is* what they fought and sacrificed for: so we civilians can live safe, comfortable, and free lives.

Some of us will enjoy barbecues, family gatherings, baseball games, and whatnot this weekend while remembering and giving thanks to those who made it possible.

Then there are the LIV types who go "Woo-Hoo! Three day weekend! Happy Holiday!"

Posted by: rickl at May 24, 2015 10:38 PM (sdi6R)

112 Absolutely frame it.


Posted by: Grampa Jimbo at May 24, 2015 10:40 PM (V70Uh)

113 Jim @ 108 -

Very nice. Thanks for making that available.

Posted by: FireHorse at May 24, 2015 10:41 PM (2OdVw)

114 Then there are the LIV typesGovernment workers who go "Woo-Hoo! Three day weekend! Happy Holiday!"

FIFY

Posted by: Grampa Jimbo at May 24, 2015 10:41 PM (V70Uh)

115 110, DC, yeah that was him. Smart guy, great personality. He must have been talented because you didn't just fall into a 111 slot. And gone in an instant. What can a person say?

Posted by: fairweatherbill at May 24, 2015 10:51 PM (o/3Hk)

116 Between Vietnam and the Gulf War:

8 dead at Desert One in Iran.

37 dead in El Salvador.

266 dead in Lebanon.

39 dead in Persian Gulf escorts (USS Stark).

18 dead in Grenada, one died later in the hospital.

2 dead in Libya bombing.

40 dead in Panama.

Gone but not forgotten. I knew three of them.


Posted by: Caesar North of the Rubicon at May 24, 2015 10:53 PM (5f5bM)

117 Remembering you, "Super Jew," MSG Freedman, Delta sniper extraordinaire:

CIA Paramilitary Officer Larry Freedman from their Special Activities Division
became the first US casualty of the conflict in Somalia when his
vehicle struck an anti-tank mine. He had been inserted prior to the US
invasion on a special reconnaissance mission, serving as a liaison
between the U.S. Embassy and the arriving military forces while
providing intelligence for both. Freedman was a former Army Delta Force
operator and Special Forces soldier and had served in every conflict
that the US was involved in both officially and unofficially since
Vietnam. Freedman was awarded the Intelligence Star for extraordinary heroism.[12]



Posted by: Caesar North of the Rubicon at May 24, 2015 11:02 PM (5f5bM)

118 Then there are the LIV types who go "Woo-Hoo! Three day weekend! Happy Holiday!"

Posted by: rickl at May 24, 2015 10:38 PM
________

That's me on Labor Day. For the life of me, I don't understand Labor Day.

Posted by: FireHorse at May 24, 2015 11:03 PM (2OdVw)

119 Gone but not forgotten. I knew three of them.

Posted by: Caesar North of the Rubicon at May 24, 2015 10:53 PM
________

I knew a guy, active-duty USAF, flying home for Christmas aboard Pan Am 103. He signed up, wore the uniform, and (make no mistake about this) died in war.

To you, Ed.

* clink *

Posted by: FireHorse at May 24, 2015 11:09 PM (2OdVw)

120 124
He signed up, wore the uniform, and (make no mistake about this) died in war.

Posted by: FireHorse at May 24, 2015 11:09 PM (2OdVw)



Yes. Yes, he did.

*clink*

Posted by: rickl at May 24, 2015 11:14 PM (sdi6R)

121 The Fort Campbell boys lost at Gander, New Foundland on their way back home 30 years ago this Christmas season.

They were returning from Sinai peninsula, most of whom had already called home to tell their families they were in North America and would be home for Christmas. They never made it back to Kentucky, they never even made it back to the US.

God Speed. RIP.

Posted by: Rory at May 24, 2015 11:14 PM (fsN5v)

122 Greetings:

Back in the summer of the last '68, I was doing my military down in Texas which, besides the Bronx , is the place I'd most like to be form. For several months, I was assigned to the base's funeral detail. We would provide pallbearers and a rifle squad for those requesting military funerals in the local area.

Military-wise, it wasn't bad duty. On the days when we weren't scheduled for a funeral, we would spend several hours practicing our "drill and ceremonies" and a couple of more squaring away our uniforms and equipment. On funeral days, we would head out as early as necessary on q 44-passenger bus, often in civilian clothes or else fatigues with our first-class uniforms in tow. Often we would change into our duty uniforms at the funeral home, once in the casket display room, or on the bus itself.

It being Texas and the Viet Nam war being in full swing, we often had several funerals a week to perform. There was a certain spectrum from the World War graduates through the Viet Nam casualties. The former might involve a local veterans' group and an afterward BBQ or such. The latter were somewhat more emotionally raw as most of us were facing our own deployments in the near future.

Two funerals of the latter sort have stayed with me through the years. The first was of a young Private First Class who had been MIA for several months before his remains were recovered. I was on the pallbearer squad that day and when we went to lift that casket, it almost flew up in the air. There was so little of the young soldier left that we totally overestimated the weight we were lifting and almost looked decidedly unprofessional.

The other was that of a Negro Specialist 4th Class. I was in the rifle squad that day. In the rendering of military honors, there is a momentary pause between the end of the (21-gun) rifle salute and the beginning of the playing of "Taps". It is a moment of profound silence in most cases. During that moment, the soldier's mothergave out a yowl from the depths of her grief that so startled me that I almost dropped the rifle out of my hands. That yowl echoes within me still.

I'll readily admit that as a result of my experiences, I became much imbued with a sense of duty and respect to and for our fallen. Hopefully, this year, when our media do their reporting they will show some of the same and let "Taps" be played out in its entirety. It would be nice for a change.

Posted by: 11B40 at May 24, 2015 11:21 PM (evgyj)

123 Nice story, 11B40.

Posted by: rhomboid at May 24, 2015 11:36 PM (QDnY+)

124 121
The Fort Campbell boys lost at Gander, New Foundland on their way back home 30 years ago this Christmas season.



They were returning from Sinai peninsula, most of whom had already
called home to tell their families they were in North America and would
be home for Christmas. They never made it back to Kentucky, they never
even made it back to the US.



God Speed. RIP.

Posted by: Rory at May 24, 2015 11:14 PM (fsN5v)

********************************
Sort of grim story about that. Not to put it too delicately, there were pieces all over the place in Gander and they froze. The folks on the scene made a grid, tagged the remains by where they were on the grid, and put them in frozen storage.
My old mortar platoon got tasked with going to Dover, Delaware and assembling bodies in a big cold warehouse based on their outward appearance, where they were found, and how they fit together. Needless to say, they needed a lot of counseling afterward. Fortunately, the platoon sergeant was a grizzled old Vietnam (and pre-Vietnam) vet who had seen just about everything and loved his soldiers. Did they get it 100% right? Human nature would tell you they didn't, but I know they tried the best they could.
I know that the Fort Campbell people tried to collect dental records from all over (the medical and dental records of the soldiers were, of course, on the plane) to identify the bodies conclusively.
Although most of the soldiers who did the Dover duty had not been in the platoon at the time, I had been the platoon leader of that platoon two years previously, and one of the soldiers from that platoon (when I led it) was on the plane and died at Gander.
They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength: they shall mount up with wings as Eagles.

Posted by: Caesar North of the Rubicon at May 25, 2015 01:52 AM (5f5bM)

125 It's our loss not the soldiers. They are safely in heaven. We must carry on with fewer brave honorable people till we catch up with them.

Posted by: theTruth at May 25, 2015 09:06 AM (PGh+Q)

126 WRT Gander.
When the Christmas leave was being arranged, the single guys on the flight from Sinai gave up their seats to married buddies. It was the right thing to do and no soldier would hesitate an instant.
So most of those guys had families.
Noted later on that, after some struggle, the death records, much redacted, were extracted from DoD. Apparently, many of the guys had smoke inhalation evidence in their lungs. Fits right in with a controlled descent into terrain.... as a cause. Not.

Posted by: Richard Aubrey at May 25, 2015 01:45 PM (Q/3mX)

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